A/N: Well, here it is! Sorry it's so late ;;;

Disclaimer (since I haven't done it in a billion years) Yeah I don't own any of the characters…yet MUAHAHAHAHAHA. No, seriously…whatever y'all know the drill.

Chapter 8:

"What!" Both Anna and Emlis exclaimed. Anna could not believe what she just heard. It was impossible. There was no way her adventure was going to end here.

"What do you mean 'We're not going anywhere'?" She asked harshly, looking at Jack. "I will get to the West! If you remember Lief and Jasmine then you must know who I am!" She saw Jack thinking. His grin never left his face.

"Hmm…" he began. "You're a noisy brat who doesn't know how to stay on her own ship along with your pet dog who resembles a human." Anna saw Emlis' pal skin go red. This made Anna absolutely livid.

"Listen here." She began again, silently fuming. "I am the heir to the throne of Deltora," she shrugged off Emlis who was begging her to stop speaking. "Since you refuse to go back to Deltora, you must take me to the West. If you don't take me there so I can send a letter home, then people will start looking for me. They're going to search all along this border. Then who will be the one grinning?" She finished a small, scared grin on her face. She grinned even more when she saw Jack's grin falter. Nevertheless, he got his grin back and glared at Anna and Emlis.

"I am not afraid of that ever happening." He said calmly. "No one ever dares to sail so close to the border of Deltora. And we're miles away from where you two jumped ship. No one will ever think to search this far." Anna felt her stomach sink as she watched Jack begin to pace the room. "However, since I do not serve the Shadowlord anymore, I find my spirits have been lighter. I may take you two to the West after all. But for the time being, you two are to remain on my ship as servants to repay your debt for landing on my ship." Anna gaped at him.

"You have got to be kidding!" she exclaimed. She looked to Emlis for support, but saw him silently shaking. Of course, she couldn't blame him. Tiny Emlis wasn't use to the ways of the hostile world above him. Anna folded her arms stubbornly. "We will not be your servants!" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Oh really?" he inquired. "Well, then you can always jump off of this ship. Maybe the current will carry you back to Deltora, which is many miles away from this point." Anna stared blankly into the wall behind Jack. There was no way out of it. At least if she did everything Jack told her to do she may be able to travel to the West after all.

"So do we have a deal?" Jack held out his hand to "seal the deal" so to speak. Anna hesitated. She had read stories about Jack's infamous deals. She knew he was not to be trusted unless all the terms of the deal were specified.

"Wait a minute." Anna began. "How long will we remain servants?"

"Well…as long as I see fit." Jack answered casually and hastily. Anna raised her eyebrows.

"That could be forever." She said. "How about we come to an agreement?"

"Hmm, you're cleverer than I thought." Jack grinned. "Okay how about 6 months?"

"No way!" both Anna and surprisingly Emlis exclaimed. Anna paused.

"How about two months?" she asked. "That will be 61 days."

"You drive a hard bargain." Jack said. "But fine, 61 days it shall be."

"And then you'll take us to the West?" Emlis asked. Jack nodded.

"Wait," Anna said. "We could use a crew like this if something is really bad over there."

"What are you saying?" Jack asked keenly.

"What if we stay your servants for three and a half months, and you and your crew will come to the West with us?" Anna asked. Emlis nudged her.

"That may be pushing it." He hissed to her.

"Your dog is right." Jack added. "All I'm committing to is taking you two to the Western lands. The other part is out of the question."

"Fine." Anna said. She held out her hand. "61 days of service for a trip to the Western lands?"

"Deal." Jack answered, and shook her hand. He walked to the door, and peered out the window. "It's getting late." He said. "You two better get to sleep. Servants have to wake up before sunrise." With that, he and the other sailors left the room.

"What a fine predicament we are in!" Emlis exclaimed landing on the bed with a sigh. Anna suddenly felt terrible. She didn't even consult with Emlis on what to do. Emlis was a really good swimmer. Maybe he could have taken her back to Deltora on his own. Then they wouldn't have to be servants on a ship at all. Emlis obviously saw Anna was upset because he said, "You did the nobler thing with making that deal with Jack. The good of Deltora and the West is the more important thing at hand. I am sure Jack will keep his word."

"Let us all hope." Anna said, finding another bed on the opposite side of the room. "For our sake, at least."

A/N: Wow! Chapter 8! Sorry I didn't get it up sooner. I have this opera I'm in at school and I've hardly had free-time! Well, once again thanks for the good reviews! Chapter 9 should be promising!